


Division by Zero

by SuperKiwi121 (kiwisaurus121)



Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Mathematics, Mentioned Chloe Armstrong, Out of Character, POV Outsider, Parent Teacher Conference, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24124654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiwisaurus121/pseuds/SuperKiwi121
Summary: Giving a failing grade was neverenjoyable, but the resulting parent teacher meeting managed to be even less so.
Relationships: Nicholas Rush/Everett Young
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Division by Zero

**Author's Note:**

> I have never seen any Stargate content, and only know what I have gleaned from [kvikindi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kvikindi) incredible [remix](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12893790) [projects](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17589248). What I'm trying to say is that I firmly believe more people should be reading those fics. Please. They're so good.  
> Any and all mistakes are my own responsibility for being unwilling to do research or comprehensive worldbuilding.  
> Division by zero = something over nothing = Rush and Young bringing some unnecessarily intense energy to a situation that didn't require it (not that educational needs are unimportant)

She had known who the parents were even before they had introduced themselves, of course. The whole world had been glued to their screens when it was revealed that not only were aliens real, but they had also kidnapped numerous high ranking officials of various governments. Every individual involved in the negotiations became a household name, but then-Lieutenant Colonel Everett Young had thrown a cherry on top when, as the whole world watched, he irritably told a reporter that his plan was "just to go home to his husband and sleep." Activists rallied around him, he became a face of the movement to repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell, and then he had eloped with, of all people, Nicholas Rush. Nicholas Rush, who had not only won a Fields Medal, but who for whom they had implemented a Nobel Prize in Mathematics, and who she'd been lucky enough to see speak once as an undergraduate. Sure, she hadn't understood any of it, but that was hardly uncommon for a math lecture, so she didn't bother to mention it when bragging about her brush with genius to her nerdier friends.

Even if they hadn't been famous, and even if the principal hadn't sent out a newsletter to the Academy's Community (of potential donors) about how the school would be host to their newly adopted daughter, she likes to think she would have known who they are because she always tries to keep track of the parents of her more... troubled students. But she can still appreciate in the abstract that Colonel Young reaches out his hand to shake hers, and say "Call me Everett, and this is Dr. Rush," as though they are any other parents of any other student.

She understands, of course. Everyone knows about Chloe, the Senator's daughter who had been kidnapped with him and came back an orphan. The country's sweetheart with a tragic past. But none of that negated the fact that Chloe rarely paid attention in class, and her last test had been turned in only partially completed, with geometric doodles around the corners of the rest. The answers she did have were just scribbled down with no work, and she'd spent so much of the test staring off into space and glancing her classmates that she had to assume she'd cheated. It's what she would assume for any other student, and she wouldn't be doing Chloe any favors by ignoring it.

She'd done what she could. She'd given as much partial credit as possible, but that still ended up a failing grade of 30%, and a note to see her when she had a free period.

She had certainly not expected to be confronted by what amounted to two international celebrities over a high school algebra test. Frankly, she'd suspected they were too busy to give Chloe the care she deserved, and that that was part of the issue.

She was glad to be wrong, of course, in the abstract. In the concrete, she was promising herself that if she made it through this with any degree of professional she could open a pint of ice cream as soon as she got home, dinner be damned.

She smooths down her skirts as she sits down, and Dr. Rush sniffs as though something has offended him. She fights down the urge to offer him a tissue.

"Tell me," he says, voice dripping with enough disdain to rival any of her entitled 14 year old students, "how it's possible that a private institution which specializes in the technical sciences can be so utterly incompetent. Is this an American thing? Are you all so caught up in imposing your will on the rest of the world you don't even know how to educate?"

"Rush," Everett... no she can't, Colonel Young interrupts him mildly, and she unclenches her jaw as much as she can.

"Shut up, Young, I'm trying to understand something here," Dr. Rush somehow sighs without pausing for actual breath, "how _is_ it that your institution can claim to cater to geniuses and yet display such idiocy? Are we not working from the same definitions? I'd ask you to simplify it for me, but we're clearly not using equivalent fucking terms. But how your school can claim any sort of value, when you so clearly-" she lets the words wash over her as she focuses on breathing and not letting her attention too obviously stray from him to the picture of Grace Hopper strategically pinned to the back wall, who she makes eye contact with when all of her students are too busy looking at their phones.

It was a small wonder she isn't reduced to tears, given that she has just been eviscerated by someone she has academically looked up to for years. But Dr. Rush ended his diatribe insisting that he would get a headache if anyone else spoke so she refrained from letting even a hiccup escape. She decides she's definitely allowed to finish the pint tonight.

Colonel Young, it seems, is not so concerned, "I believe what my husband-"

"Partner-"

"Was trying to say," he somehow manages to pause for Dr. Rush's interjection without it interrupting the flow of his sentence, "is that there seems to have been a misunderstanding here. Now, I've brought in the test in question, if you could just explain a couple of things to me?"

Dr. Rush rolls his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

"I see Chloe has answered the majority of the questions on this test," he looks at her expectantly, which she takes to mean she's allowed to speak again.

"Y-" She has to clear her throat, "yes. Just over half."

"And I've been assured her answers are correct?"

"Jesus Christ," Rush breathes out.

"Well," Colonel Young is still looking at her expectantly, and Rush seems more irritated by him at this point than her, so she squares her shoulders, "Well yes, but you see..." she resists the urge to bite her fingernails, "She didn't show any of her work, so I couldn't be certain she hadn't cheated," she lets it all out in one breath.

"HADN'T-" Dr. Rush bursts out before Colonel Young puts a hand on his arm.

He smiles thinly at her, "I'm sure what my husband-"

"Partner-"

"-was about to say was that we have full confidence in our daughter's academic integrity. Besides, I'm _certain_ I've heard him express similar concerns about his own undergraduate's work."

"Yes," Dr. Rush breathes out heavily, "when it's more complicated work than what even _you_ should be capable of doing in your head. Besides which, look at the margins!"

They both do so, but she still doesnt see anything but doodles.

"Oh for Christ's sake," Dr. Rush takes the paper and starts shaking it at them, "she's found a new pentagonal tiling for a plane, you imbeciles."

She feels herself pale. Surely that can't be true, but even if it was, he can't have expected her to be looking for that on a high school algebra test?

"Hmm," is all Colonel Young has to say about this potentially life changing work, "more to the point, from your school's website I was taken to understand that usually students are given placement tests to ensure that they're in the right courses. As Dr. Young no doubt made clear earlier, we have full faith in our daughter's intelligence,"

"Obviously," he inserts acidly.

"And we were quite concerned to discover she was taking high school algebra in the first place, when she is regularly doing college level problem solving at home."

"It's more than-" Dr. Rush begins to grumble, but subsides after a quick look before Colonel Young's expectant gaze is turned back to her.

"Ah," she says, glad to have an answer for once, "well you see, since Chloe transferred in late she missed this year's placement tests."

"I see," Colonel Young says before smiling, "well that's easily dealt with then. I'm sure that can be resolved?"

She stops herself from saying that it's a little more complicated than that, and instead manages, "I'll talk to someone about it immediately."

"Good," Colonel Young stands up, "see that you do. Otherwise we may have to consider other educational opportunities."

He leaves the room, Dr. Rush trailing after him while shooting disdainful looks at all her furniture, before she's even finished fully processing that statement.

Jesus. The principal is going to _end_ her.

**Author's Note:**

> Notes on things I couldn't figure out how to work in without making the exposition clunkier:  
> -The Stargate program almost certainly doesn't exist, and Rush is a full time academic. I assume Rush does not put in the effort to be a particularly good lecturer, especially for undergraduates, and that there are YouTube videos of him throwing chalk (he claims it is because it was the wrong brand, of course). This is statistically likely, as most math talks require you to have a fair amount of background in the particular topic to make any sense, and yet I had to go to so many for my major. At least there were cookies.  
> -Chloe left the test on the kitchen table completely by accident, and is mortified to find out they did this. She's dealing with a lot of trauma on top of being a teenager, and failing a high school math test is not her biggest concern at the moment.  
> -Young wasn't necessarily planning to come out to the _world_ in that moment, but he was sleep deprived and had just spent a week being needled by Telford, and is potentially unaware it's a reporter he's talking to. He's definitely being deliberate about not avoiding the topic, but he did not intend to become the face of a movement. Additionally, he and Rush aren't even engaged at that point, let alone married. He may win the award for world's shittiest public proposal.  
> -I did have a very lengthy discussion with a friend about whether Rush is at all involved or even aware of the fight for DADT repeal, or if he's off doing math and just going "mhm yes I'm sure your fight to make the military-industrial complex more accepting is very important" at dinner with the part of his brain not trying to visualize 5th dimensional objects. As I was too lazy to even read the wikipedia page on the actual repeal, we may never know.  
> -Even once they're married Rush does not like to be referred to as Young's husband bc he was _Gloria's_ husband. However Young still finds something enticing about alerting to the world that he **is** gay so they compromise by Rush always correcting him, as he does on so many things, regardless of their accuracy.  
> -The unnamed teacher isn't straight, bc I say so. She does get to eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's when she gets home, and someday this is probably a very funny story.  
> -I decided the Nobel Prize should have a category for Mathematics entirely for my own amusement. My fun (but not remotely researched) facts on the subject are:  
> a. The Fields Medal only became colloquially known as the "Nobel Prize of Mathematics" to try and get around travel restrictions during the Cold War (source: my knot theory professor rambling in class one day)  
> b. It is apparently a popular story to claim there is no Nobel Prize for Mathematics because Nobel's wife ran off with a mathematician. As he was never married, this can only be vacuously true (source: a math podcaster I hung out with once)  
> c. Any math prize that doesn't involve the [exchange of poultry](https://thousandmaths.tumblr.com/post/118321771862/procrastinating-on-wikipedia-and-found-this) is inferior (source: my own opinion)


End file.
